KARACHI: A process to modernise Customs Laboratory has been stopped due to shortage of funds.
The FBR sources informed Customs Today that the federal government has not allocated any funds for the advancement of Customs Laboratory in the annual budget for the year 2014-15.
They further said that the shortage of funds has been a big hurdle in the process of modernisation of the Customs Lab, adding that the Pakistan Customs have written several letters to FBR in this regard, but all in vain.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Collector MCC Appraisement-West Muhammad Saleem has vowed that the Pakistan Customs is endeavoring hard to make contemporary improvement in the Customs Laboratory.
When contacted, Collector MCC Appraisement-West confirmed that the Pakistan Customs has been facing financial issues in establishing the Customs Lab on modernized basis.
“We are trying to make “state of the art” Customs Laboratory on international standards,” he added.
He said that the shortage of funds was definitely one of the many hurdles in the way to establish state-of the art Customs Laboratory.
Moreover, he ruled out any possibility of shifting Customs Laboratory from the premises of Custom House Karachi to any other place.
It is important to mention here that few weeks earlier, a FBR sources informed Customs Today that the Chief Collector of Enforcement-South Muhammad Nazim Saleem, through a letter, has urged the Collector of Model Customs Collectorate of Preventive, Syed Muhammad Tariq Huda to re-locate the Customs Laboratory from the Customs House to any other place, owing to sensitive law and order situation.
